“What in the World is Going On?” (part 1)

Posted On June 10, 2021

Psalm 2: 1-6

Some years ago, we heard the story of a preacher and his wife driving through the mountains of western North Carolina. As they stopped for a break in front of an old country store, the wife noticed the still figure of a man sitting in a wooden chair, leaning back against the wall. His wide-brimmed, straw hat was pulled down over his face and he was evidently enjoying an afternoon nap.

“Look at that”, she remarked. “I’ll bet he has no idea what all is going on in the world.” The preacher quickly replied, “Well, for goodness sake, don’t tell him! Let him rest.”

King David wrote Psalm 2, about 1000 years before Christ. Therein, he poses the question which may have troubled him and many after him. “What in the world is going on?” Likewise, there are those like the man in the straw hat who never ask it but live in the quandary we call life.

Some background may be helpful. When David became the king of Israel (1004 BC), there was little, or no, semblance of a nation …. neither in Israel nor the surrounding regions. His predecessor, King Saul, never formed an administration nor governing body. He was always battling the Amorites, Amalekites, Philistines, etc., all of whom were maneuvering their roving bands to gain whatever territory, resources, and prestige they could.

David saw clearly that the borders were not distinct, their farms and herds were subject to constant hostile attacks and their national identity was threatened daily. So, when he was enthroned, King David acted swiftly. At the outset, he chose Jerusalem as the capital of the kingdom (II Samuel 5:6-10). He then had the Ark of the Covenant (symbol of God’s presence) brought back to Jerusalem (II Samuel 6) and conducted a campaign to recover and secure the borders as they were marked in the days of Joshua (II Samuel 8 ff). He reached out to those regional leaders who would be trustworthy and fair-minded in alliances of trade and defense.

He had surveyed the political, economic, military, and spiritual conditions that lay all about and perhaps wondered, “What in the world is going on?”. Such a lack of order, respect, peace, harmony and common sense among all these people must have really troubled the new king. Therefore, through his inquiring prayers to God and the answers in return, David heard and recorded the reasons and remedies for the conditions around him – he then wrote Psalm 2.

      “Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing?” (vs. 1)

Here we see the two realms of trouble that press upon humanity – International Conflicts and Individual Confusion.  Certainly, these were not limited to David’s day as we all know. Jesus warned us that, “you will hear of wars and rumors of wars ..” (Matthew 24:6) and in our day, rockets and roadside bombs have replaced swords and spears. The same quests for territory, resources and prestige mount threats to international peace. Further, confusion amidst our society drives unnecessary wedges between us, fueled by the few who seem to want bitterness and violence. Likewise, the time-honored rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness among people are being challenged by those who want only “what is right in their own eyes” (Judges 17:6) regardless of the law or common sense. As King Solomon later wrote, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). And St. James strongly reminded us, “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” (James 4:1).

David goes on to reveal the root causes in those leaders who keep the world in a state of anxiety and instability. “The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying “Let us tear their fetters apart, and cast away their cords from us!””.

We are shown here three malicious attitudes that bring severe harm to humanity:

      a) Arrogance of Leadership – when kings and rulers exalt their own importance and listen only to one another, the concerns of the people are ignored and neglected.

      b) Antagonism to Lordship – when leaders choose to make their own rules; so “no one can tell us what to do” – not even the Lord nor His Messiah, destruction is near.

      c) Attraction to Liberty – when leaders refuse to be bound by any commandments, traditions or teachings from God – history is ignored, churches close, believers are martyred and the foundations of goodness crumble. God have mercy on the people.

I say this reverently, wondering if David might have asked it as well, “Didn’t God know what was going on? Was He oblivious to those things – like the man at the country store? The answer becomes clear as David continues. God knows it all!

      “He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury. “But as for Me, I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.”” (vss. 4-6).

Just as the thunder sounded on Mt. Sinai and the fire rained on Mt. Carmel, so the voice of the Sitting One, the Scoffing One, and the Speaking One brings the chaos to a standstill. “I am the Lord; you are not. My Word is truth; yours is not. I decide who is King; you do not.”  They may bask in their arrogance, rage in their antagonism, feed their attractions for a time, but, in the end, “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10,11).

What in the world is going on? We don’t always know nor understand but we know that our God is not like the man at the country store.

 Fr. Andrew and Kh. Dannie